Running / Julie Cart : Marathoner Pfitzinger Keeps Low Profile

Nine months ago, hardly anyone knew his name, let alone how to spell it. Now, Olympic marathon runner Pete Pfitzinger is better known. But not much.

Pfitzinger burst upon the marathon scene when he kicked after 18 miles, ran down Alberto Salazar and won the U.S. Olympic marathon trials last spring. He went into the race as the 19th-ranked competitor. He came out as one of the most talked-about runners of the season.

The New Englander fulfilled his promise and was the top U.S. finisher in the Olympics, although his time of 2:13.53 for 11th place did not please him. Since then, Pfitzinger has remained low key and unassuming.

Little attention was paid, therefore when the lean, bearded Pfitzinger sat down at the counter of an Orange County coffee shop recently during a personal appearance tour. Little attention is what Pfitzinger is used to, and what he likes.

“My life hasn’t really changed, except I am traveling much more,” he said. One change has been his marriage to Chrissie Hughes, New Zealand’s top 3,000-meter runner. They met when Hughes was training in Boston, then got together again when Pfitzinger took his annual training trip to New Zealand to work with Coach Kevin Ryan. It was Ryan, and the famed New Zealand running community, who helped transform Pfitzinger into the straight-ahead, bull-strong runner he is.

“Hills, and more hills,” also gave him an edge, he said. “My strength has developed from my years in Ithaca, N.Y. There were so many hills, you couldn’t avoid them. You could have runs up to 2 1/2 miles of nothing but hills. After a while, you start getting better at them.”

Pfitzinger, 27, has described himself as a marathoner’s marathoner, and there are few more ardent students of the sport. He will train with Hughes in New Zealand for the winter, then the couple will return to Boston, where they will live.

He hasn’t decided if he will run the Boston Marathon or the World Cup marathon in Japan. “The big factor for me will be who runs where,” he said. “If Alberto and the Europeans are going to be in Japan, I want to be there, too.

“I haven’t run in an intense competition in a while, but I’ve raced this fall (in 10-kilometer events). I’m looking forward to seeing what I can do. Last year, I improved 36 seconds. Big deal. I know I can do better.”

Alberto Salazar must be feeling down on his luck.

Last week, it was announced that the Olympic marathoner would undergo surgery to his left kneecap. The surgery is expected to keep him from running for three months.

Two weeks ago, it was announced that Salazar’s time in the 1981 New York City Marathon had been disallowed as an American record because the course was found to have been short.

Salazar’s time of 2:08:13 had been a pending world record until it was bettered last October by Steve Jones of Wales. Jones ran a 2:08:05 on a slightly longer Chicago course.

“Based on what everyone’s told me, I’m no longer going to carry (Salazar’s) mark as a pending (American) record,” said Bob Hersch, chairman of the The Athletics Congress records committee.

Rumors that the course was not up to standards began immediately after the race. After remeasurement late last year, the course was found to be 148 meters shy of the full 42,195 meters. Even with the short-course tolerance of 84 meters applied to the 1981 route, the course came up short.

Ken and Jennifer Young of the National Running Data Center have been complaining about the mark for three years. The Youngs, who serve as a national clearing house for compilation of times and course measurement, have consistently asked that the New York course be remeasured by NRDC certifiers. Race officials refused, saying it had been certified by TAC as accurate. But, in 1982, 100 meters were added to the course to adhere to stricter TAC measurement standards put in effect that year.

“Based on the way we saw the race, we figured Alberto ran a 2:09,” Jennifer Young said.

Salazar has shrugged off the decision. He remains the American record-holder with a 2:08:52.

Running Notes Bruce Dern, actor and member of the Santa Monica Track Club, is the star of a soon-to-be-released motion picture about running, “On the Edge.” The film’s plot is art imitating life: A national-class distance runner is barred for life for accepting prize money and laundering it on expense records. . . . The fastest marathon by an American in 1984? A 2:11:23 by Ken Martin of Arizona. . . . With more shoe companies incorporating some sort of reflective strips on their shoes and apparel, it was just a matter of time before a more elaborate safety device was marketed for runners. Now, M.R.V., Inc., has produced the V.R. Sports Lights. They weigh less than an ounce apiece, may be glued to the heels of running shoes, and emanate blinking red lights. Batteries are included.